The BMW 2013 HP4 is very fast and barely street legal

BMW's 2013 HP4 motorcycle can claim the title for most coveted bike so far this year. The HP4 is a street-legal version of the <a href="http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/05/bmw_s_1000rr/" data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card">S1000RR racing model</a>, with crazy power and even crazier handling abilities, mainly from a new feature in the suspension.

The HP4 is the first consumer motorcycle with automatic variable dampening, or Dynamic Damping Control. The system will stiffen up through turns, and go supple to smooth over bumps. You previously had to pick one of the two and suffer traumatic potholes, or squishy cornering. Sensors give the engine control unit (ECU) data on the bike's braking and turning then adjusts the damping rates for the shocks and forks to the current conditions.

Riders choose between rain, sport, race, and slick modes. In the first three, the ABS compresses the rear brake when the front is applied, and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) keeps the rubber side down at speed. In "slick," the brakes are independent, and the driver chooses from 15 levels of traction control via a paddle shifter on the left grip.

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In addition to the suspension feat, the HP4 has lightweight aluminium wheels and a titanium exhaust, which bring the weight down to 169kg --with an empty tank, that makes the HP4 the lightest four-banger motorcycle in the world. Launch control and Brembo Monobloc brakes with ABS keep the bike from getting away, while liquid cooling keeps the 193 horsepower engine from overheating as it rockets from zero to 100 kmh in 2.9 seconds.